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State report: Fremont High School violated 'the spirit' but not the 'letter' of ACT test rules

calculators

Fremont High School students' ACT tests will not be invalidated though the school violated the "spirit" of testing policies by loading help info onto student-used calculators, the state has concluded.
(MLive file photo)

FREMONT, MI -- Fremont High School officials violated the "spirit" of ACT and Michigan Merit Exam policies, though they followed the "letter of ACT calculator use guidelines," a state investigation into allegations of cheating has concluded.

An anonymous tipster prompted the Michigan Department of Education to investigate the use of pre-loaded ACT help files onto school calculators that were used last fall by Fremont students taking the college entrance exam that is part of the MME.

The state investigation concluded there are discrepancies between state policy and ACT policy: While the state doesn't allow "cheat sheets" like those on the calculators, the ACT does not allow calculators to be erased. There may be other schools that also are using so-called "help" sheets on calculators that could be considered prohibited "cheat sheets," the state concluded.

"This discrepancy opens up the possibility that test scores have been improperly inflated," the investigation report concludes. "Importantly, if this information had been posted on the wall, or included in a physical 'cheat sheet,' the test scores would have been invalidated."

But because the ACT prohibits calculator files from being deleted, Fremont followed the "letter" of that policy and the state will not invalidate the test scores, the investigation report states.

Michigan officials will review state policies regarding the MME, and Fremont will have state monitors in place next time the test is given. The Michigan Department of Education released the investigation findings Wednesday afternoon.

Katie Wacker, a spokeswoman for ACT, said she would not reveal the contents of a letter detailing the ACT's investigation findings that was sent to Fremont administrators. However, she said the school's statement on the website "appeared to be accurate."

The state noted in its findings that any formula needed to solve a math problem is included on the ACT exam.

The state investigation found that Fremont staff had loaded ACT help information onto school calculators that students use in an ACT prep class. The information was reloaded onto computers "just prior" to the administration of the ACT test because staff thought the files had been corrupted or altered by students, the investigation found.

School staff members told the state investigator they had checked with the ACT and believed they were following ACT guidelines, which prohibit files from being deleted from the calculators.

"This is a loophole in the assessment integrity requirements that allowed for this behavior that should be prohibited, but on technical grounds is not prohibited," the report states.

Students were free to borrow the calculators when they took the test, and an interview with students concluded about 60 percent of the students did borrow the calculators, the findings indicate. That situation "raises the potential question of fairness to other students who may or may not have a calculator loaded with 'help' information," the report states.

The Department of Education concluded there is "ambiguity" about the fact that ACT does not allow any "unapproved testing aids" but also doesn't allow for calculators to be cleared before the test.

Department of Education policies prevent students from having a "cheat sheet," which the investigation findings said could be what the ACT help files on the Fremont calculators could be considered. Three other state policies also can be read to prohibit the placement of ACT help files on the calculators, according to the report.

It is unclear how many other schools in the state have stored ACT help information on student-used calculators, the report states. The state intends to review its test administration policies with its vendors "to determine appropriate clarifications to the policies to eliminate the discrepancies that allowed this situation to occur," the report states.